also been addressing the un general assembly in new york and he said the sincere churkin is there for us. wrapping up his visit to the united nations general assembly session here in new york the russian foreign minister sergei lavrov has addressed the united nations general assembly with a speech touching up on many different subjects that are most warning for the international community and syria was certainly at the top of that list and one of the most important points he made regarding syria was that it's key to let the government and the opposition try to carry out talks to let them talk before any intervention from the outside world takes takes place he has said that the government should be given the opportunity to carry out the reforms that they promised and you know the international community should refrain from taking any action until this opportunities given to let syria deal with its own issues to avoid just advising the region even further because he brought up the latest example of libya and he reiterated that russia really believes that russia stands against the use of any kind of force against innocent civilians and libya'

lawton for bob aber nethy. thank you for joining us. there is intense debate at the united nations general assembly in new york over the palestinians's controversial request for full recognition as a state. the u.s. is promised to veto in a security council that must approve the request. religious groups are on both sides of the issue. evangelical christians rallied in support of israel while jewish groups released a petition opposing a palestinian bid for stood hood right now. some christian and muslim groups said the time has come for palestinians to have their own state. religious leaders urged renewed moment um for peace negotiations. in his address to the assembly, president obama said there should be no shortcuts to the hard work of negotiating peace. >> peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the united nations. if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. >> mahmoud ahmadinejad had a fiery anti-american speech that railed against zionism and accused of u.s. and european nations for being slave masters for greed, arrogance and violence. diplomats from the u.s.

deployed in the area. and greece waits for the next installment of the bailout. the 66 united nations general assembly has opened in new york. world leaders are calling for action on the global debt crisis, renew efforts for boosting economic growth and ending a stalemate in the middle east. if the real showdown is expected on friday when palestinians submitted their bid for full u. membership. brazil, in keeping with tradition, kick off the annual debate. >> an historic moment as a result of the president became the first woman to open the general debate. >> this is the voice of democracy. [applause] i am convinced that this will be the century of women. >> they will come to the newest un member states. she said she hoped to welcome the palestinians as well. she said it was time for them to be given full membership. but the u.s. and israel are strongly opposed. washington will veto any membership bid. president obama repeated his warning against unilateral moves by the palestinians. if he called for resumption of direct peace talks between the sides. >> i am convinced that there is no shortcut to the end

nations general assembly gather still force to new york city russian foreign minister sergei lavrov holds his first official meeting with u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton find out all the latest details ahead in the program. the euro zone's third largest economy gets a below the belt as if it means credit ratings downgrade sparking fears of an even deeper financial crisis a boss europe. and multiculturalism under the microscope president trying to break down a wall over the issues facing immigrants in germany. and the russian markets opened on a positive note saying some losses on monday no not now business update in about twenty minutes time.

nations general assembly, particularly when there's strong emotions attached to those speeches, it's not surprising that they seem very far apart about the u.n. has asked them to come back into a negotiation with a scheduled time table and in particular with a proposal that they present a comprehensive plan on borders and security to be key issues within three months and although there's a lot of obviously strong rhetoric in the general assembly, there is belief that now is the time to get back into the negotiations. >> but we still have the palestinians talking about settlements and israelis talking about security. two ships crossing in the night. >> what's the best way of dealing with it? deal with both issues quickly. the key thing about the quartet statement today is not all the preamble and so on but the fact that it says that within three months of beginning this then we have comprehensive proposals on borders which includes settlements and security which includes all the israeli concerns. >> the statement itself gives a time table but it's fairly broad on parameters. what are they

access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> charlie: all eyes are on the united nations general assembly this week, the tensions in the middle east will likely dominate conversation. they will se membership as a u.n. member stat it will be vetoed by the united states. also on the agenda will be the arab spring, iran'nuclear program and the famine in africa. we begin our program th the british foreign secretary, william hague, a close ally of the prime minister and a key memberment i'm proud to have the foreign secretary at this table for the first time. welcome. >> thank you very much. it's good to be here. >> charlie: it's fair to ay the question of the state hood by the palestinians is that most intensely debated subject of this united nations general assembly. where do you think it is? >> well, it is as is well-known as president abbas has said he will submit an application of full membership and to go to the security council. this is somebody set out in his speech at the end of this week. what is happening is of course we're all talking bit, we're all negotiating about it, we're all putti

for recognition on the world stage . as the sixty six of the session of the united nations general assembly gathers full force in new york city russian foreign minister sergei lavrov holds his first official meeting with u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton find out all the latest details ahead in the program. euro zone's third largest economy takes a hit below the belt as it italy's credit rating gets downgraded sparking fears of an even deeper financial crisis across europe. and multiculturalism under the microscope the turkish president visits berlin trying to break down a wall of issues facing immigrants in germany. in a business update of russia and iran have agreed to develop well just think and lead deposit located in the.

covering the united nations general assembly. you've watched all of these power players get together. this is a real showdown here. why do you suspect that the palestinian leader is making this push right now? >> reporter: well, suzanne, we understand from our sources that the reason they're going it right now -- for two reasons. first of all, the palestinians say, listen, the oslo accords were 18 years ago when they first decided to start negotiations and they haven't gotten their international legitimacy from these negotiations. they want to get their international legitimacy from the international community, and then they want to negotiate with the israelis as two states negotiating, not one occupying power to the occupying people. secondly, they say listen, we're really frustrated with u.s. policy. they're frustrated with u.s. policy and they feel they really have no option. it's a desperate attempt, suzanne. >> so if abbas know that is u.s. is going to veto this, why go forward? is this all about symbolism? what do they take away, elise? help us understand. >> reporter: well, it

. looking at live pictures from the united nations general assembly. we have already seen protests in the street outside of the u.n. over his very appearance. we'll take that live when it begins. >>> the topic ahmadinejad could weigh in on today is palestinian statehood as well. it is a proposal we are expecting to hear tomorrow when the palestinian leader mahmoud abbas addresses the united nations. so how do you have a state without borders, right? our fionnuala will take a look at finding those dividing lines in jerusalem. >> reporter: more than 0 years ago the late yasser arafat declared a palestinian state. it didn't happen. so why is israel worried now? well, precisely because of places like this. this settlement on the 1967 borders and juxtapositions between jerusalem to my left and ramallah behind me, just some ten miles apart. this hill top has been the site of many a strategic battle between israel and arab nations. prize -- jerusalem. today a different kind of battle is being played out in the valleys below. the separation barrier divides israeli from palestinian literall

goal to have their own state. abbas making a renewed appeal today to the united nations before world leaders address the general assembly in new york next week. >> translator: we are going now to the united nations to demand our legitimate fight, which is to become a full member of the united nations as a state of palestine. >> united states and israel are warning u.n. membership would complicate the middle east peace process. richard roth has more on the palestini palestinian's options and obstacles. >> the nations of the world got yet another reminder from the palestinians of their desire for a state of their own. a symbolic seat from palestine was flown in, arriving in new york at u.n. headquarters, accompanied by activists. despite having pressure before the up coming debate, achieving state hood on the world stage is not as easy as staging a photo op. this is the potential first stop for the palestinians to apply for u.n. membership. this is the u.n. security counsel, though this chamber may pose the toughest obstacle. under the rules of the organization and u.n. charter, the palestinians must first get approval from

vote in the united nations general assembly. so when will there be negotiations? >> rose: tomorrow morning from our point of view. tomorrow morning without any pre-conditions. >> rose: a everything's on the table? >> everything's on the table. but there's one thing that i as we speak i suddenly think of. you know the so-called concerned arab brothers and sisters in the gulf, saudi arabia, the gulf states. they also concern... they are so concerned on what is happening and i was at the donor's conference and you see the pledges. they are sitting there saturated with petrol dollars while i'm here in the united states people have economic problems. journal disintegrating. they're not giving even crumbs off the table to something they say they should be really interested in doing. sometimes they remind me of those two elderly gentlemen on "the money methow" waldorf and statler sitting there yelling at the lousy show. they can also take responsibility and help out doing something that at the end of the day is in their own interest. so we need,es, people in washington, new york, london,

you're watching our team. while the sixty sixth annual general assembly continues at the united nations meanwhile clashes between israelis and palestinians in the west bank continue now while in new york calls dinny a leader mahmoud abbas has handed over a bid for membership to the united nations this got a massive applause and a standing ovation from delegations including egypt when abbas took the podium at the u.n. g.a. today just take a. listen thank you. meanwhile outside our new york bureau just blocks away from the u.n. our producers could hear the chants of free palestine as agusta speech wrapped up inside the u.n. chorus now the u.s. has said it will veto abbas's move out the when if this goes to the security council and we also heard from israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu today who tells the u.n. that kahless refused to negotiate also in the midst of this the middle east quartet peace negotiators mediators is reportedly meeting that it's across collision you could argue that's going on both inside the u.n. and outside and a saucy a church going to shows us exactly why. there are

>>> so the category tonight, items on the united nations general assembly agenda. number ten, screw with the sweeds, number eight, good-bye euro, hello chuck-e-cheese tokens. number six -- they've been writing their rs backwards all these years. number five, finally nailed down which one's uruguay, which one's paraguay. number three, do whatever china says. number two, congratulate whatever country came up with the girl with the dragon tattoo books because those were awesome. and the number one item on the united nations general assembly debate whether to renew the letterman fatwa. >> good morning, it is wednesday, september 21st. with us onset, mike barnicle. we also have the president of the council on foreign relations and birthday boy -- >> oh, exciting for me. >> wasn't it your birthday recently? >> july. >> somebody in my town was buying you a birthday present. >> birthday boy. not by a day, not by a week, but a season. >> why was someone buying you a piece of art? >> because i'm a deserving person. >> richard hath, personal friend of mine. anyway. >> interesting. >> you know,

: and he assured the members the general assembly of our a from purdue the pursuit for peace. he urged the united nations to realize inalienable national rights of the palestinian people. and he said, do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. in 1988, president arafat again addressed the general assembly which convened in geneva to hear him. there he submitted the palestinian peace program, adopted by the palestine national council held that same year in algeria. when we adopted this program, we were taking a painful and very difficult step. for all of us. especially those, including myself, who were forced to leave their homes and their towns and their villages, caring only some of our belongings, and our grief and our memories, and the keys to our homes into camps of exile and diaspora in the 1948. in one of the worst operations of operating destruction and removal of a vibrant and cohesive society, that had been contributing in a pioneering and leading way, and cultural, educational and economic renaissance of the arab middle east. yet because we believ

palestine occupied territory. and yet, even here in the general assembly the truth can sometimes break through. in 1984, when i was appointed israel ds ambassador to the unite nation's i visited a great rabi. he said to me -- and ladies and gentlemen i don't want any of you to be offended because from personal experience of serving here i know there are many honorable men and women, many capable and decent people serving their nations here. but here's what the rabi said to me. he said to me you will be serving in a house of many lines. and then he said, remember, that even in the darkest place the light of a single candle can be seen far and wide. today i hope that the light of truth will shine if only for a few minutes in a hall that for too long has been a place of darkness for my country. so as israel's prime minister, i didn't come here to win applause. i came here to speak the truth. the truth is -- [applause] the truth is that israel wants peace. the truth is that i want peace. the truth is that in the middle east at all times but especially during these turbulent days peace must be anchored in security. the truth is that we cannot achieve peace through u.n. res

leader yasser arafat -- [applause] he assured the members of the general assembly, he urged the united nations to recognize the inalienable rights of the palestinians. do not let the olive branch fall from my hands. do not let the olive branch fall from my hands. president arafat again addressed the assembly. the palestinian people adopted the session held that same year in algeria. when we adopted this program, we were taking a painful and very difficult step for all of us. especially those, including myself, that lost their home, their towns, and their villages, carrying some of our belongings. and the keys to our homes. the diaspora in 1948. one of the worst operations of removal of a vibrant and cohesive society. the cultural, education, an economic renaissance of the arab middle east. , andse of our conviction a because we have the courage to make difficult decisions, we have decided to adopt the path of relativism. that is the correct part of this great historic -- against our people. only 22% of the territory of historic palestine. our goal is the territory occupied by israel in 1967. we m

. >>> world leaderers are gathering in new york city for the annual opening of the united nations general assembly. the palestinians' bid for full membership is expected to dominate the meetings. the united nations all 193 nations, are representeded in the general assembly. you can consider the general assembly really the main policy making body of the u.n., like our congress. but each country, rich or poor, small or large, gets equal representation. one vote. a full range of international issues is on the table, including historic talks today on diseases such as hiv, diabetes and cancer. but the big question weighing over this session is whether the u.n. will recognize palestine as a state. let's go straight to our senior state department producer elise labott. we understand that the u.n. secretary-general and the palestinian president mahmoud abbas met today. do you have any details about the meeting? >> we're hearing from the palestinians and from the united nations president abbas told ban ki-moon he's making good on his promise to go to the u.n. security council later this week to apply for full s

. palestinians vow they will seek a vote at the united nations security council if that is vetoed by the u.s. as expected, they will turn to the general assembly, where it will pass. leland vittert in jerusalem with the latest reaction. >> reporter: good morning. most experts will tell you the chance of those talks succeeding is roughly that of snow falling here in jerusalem sometime this week. lately it has been 100° here. first, all the moving parts. let me break them down. the united nations is expected to take this up at the general is pwhreplably later this week. the palestinians have enough votes to be recognized as a state. but, the united states has said they will veto measure if it gets to the security council. that's where it counts. it is said to put a delicate situation in a possible showdown on the ground in israel. what nobody wants a repeat of the second intifada which began in 2000. when a lot of violence thousands dead, lots of bloodshed, riots in the street and of course those suicide bombings. since 2005 we've had relative calm. the u.s. brokered peace talks about unable to get either side to come up with a deal. israel has said t

. >> in the name of god, most gracious, most merciful. mr. secretary general of the united nations, ladies and gentlemen, at the outset, i extend my congratulations to his excellency on his assumption of the presidency of the assembly for this session. and i wish him every success. i also congratulate the secretary general mr. ban ki- moon for his reelection at the helm of the united nations. his efforts have strengthened the role of united nations. the question of palestine is intricately linked to the united nations, barring resolutions adopted by its various organizations and agencies and through ascension and lauded role the united nations relief and works agency in the near east which embody the responsibility for the plight of palestine refugees or the victim's of the catastrophe that occurred in 1948. we aspire for and seek a greater and more effective role for the united nations in working to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in our region that ensures ine unknowable -- the indelibl alienable rights and legitimacy embodied by the united nations. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, a year ago, at the same time as in this hall, distinguished leaders and heads of delegations addressed the stalled peace efforts in our region. everyone had high hopes for a new round of final status negotiations wh

morning at the united nations president obama shared with an international audience his commitment to israel's security in the midst of a challenging region and complex times. the administration approached this year's u.n. general assembly standing strong with our ally in many respects. from once again boycotting the antisem ethic activities surrounding the durban conference, to pledging to veto any palestinian unilateral declaration of independence in the security council, to working all summer with our partners and allies against the unending efforts to criticize and delegitimize israel at the u.n. president obama has been a stalwart ally of israel in this international forum. i'm so pleased that he continued in that vein this morning with his address to the general assembly. in his historic speech to this global audience, president obama once again demonstrated his stalwart support for our friend and ally, israel. importantly president obama used this opportunity at the united nations to unambiguously state his support for direct bilateral negotiations as the only way to solve the israeli-palestinian conflict and create a palestinian state. as the president said, a genuine peace can only be realized between the israelis and t

months after it authorized military force against colonel gaddafi, the united nations security council has eased several the sanctions it imposed, freeing up the movement of oil to help the country. the resolution was passed hours after the u.n. general assembly voted with some objection to give the seat to the national transitional council. will grant reports. >> while the military forces struggle to make progress on the ground, their diplomatic forces have made advances. the first step was the formal recognition by the general assembly that the ntc has the right to represent libya. egypt led the calls for the resolution to be accepted. >> arguing against that would only prolong the suffering of the libyan people. and delay achieving justice. particularly as close to 90 member states of united nations have recognize the ntc, as the only representative of the libyan people. >> coming after jubilant victory, this resolution was always expected to pass. but for the transitional council, another important step toward full recognition by the international community. >> the general assembly is voting. >> the vote was far from unanimous. a block of latin american countries opposed the move led by venezuela whose president is a close ally of colonel gadda

lauren lyster and you're watching r.t. . well as a sixty sixth general assembly gathers the united nations clashes have been had between israelis and palestinians in the west bank while in new york palestinian leader mahmoud abbas has handed over his bid for membership for palestine to the united nations now this got a massive applause and a standing ovation from delicate such as egypt when abbas took the podium at the u.n. g.a. today take a listen. meanwhile just outside our new york bureau just a few blocks from that speech from the u.n. our producers could hear the chants of free palestine as the speech wrapped up now the u.s. has said it will veto abbas's move at the u.n. if it goes to the security council and we heard from israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu today as well who said that the palestinians refused to negotiate and the mideast quartet of mediators involved to the u.s. european union russia and the united nations called on israelis and palestinians to agree with a month on how to resume negotiations with a goal of reaching a peace accord by the end of two thousand and twelve

israeli president benjamin netanyahu made his case before the general assembly. we will sit down and talk to him about it. first, let's go to the cnn senior united nations correspondent richard roth who is over at the u.n. with the latest. richard, how did this all play out today? >> dramatic history, wolff, with perhaps an uncertain future. electric speeches inside of the assembly hall between abbas, a netanyahu, and each making the pitch within the hall which does favor the palestinians. abbas got much more applause and several ovations from groups of different countries and it is time for a palestinian spring as he held up the application for formal statehood at the u.n. to applause. >> translator: this is a copy of the application. [ applause ] i call upon mr. secretary-general to expedite transmittal of all requests to the security council. i call upon the distinguished members of the security council to vote in favor of our full membership. >> reporter: the security council now has that statement, and will hold a meeting on monday. first initial meeting behind closed doors and no votes and no decisions expected. the israeli leader says he wants peace with the p

president also delivered a major address before the u.n. general assembly. >> that's rig, wolf. the palestinians continue pressing their case here at the united nations and it was the most dramatic issue the president addressed in his speech today with repeated the theme, peace is hard. the president trumpeted progress -- >> at the end of this year, america's military operation in iraq will be over. osama bin laden is gone. >> and warned of challenges ahead. >> where we stand with the syrian people or their oppressors. >> what so many were listening for was this. >> we seek a future where palestinians live in a sovereign sate of their own. >> how would we explain his opposition to the palestinian push for state hood at the united nations? >> peace will not come through statements and resolutions tat united nations. if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. >> the most striking? >> let us be honest with ourselves. israel is surrounded by neighbors that have waged repeated wars against them. a small country of less than 8 million people look out at a world where leaders of much larger nations threaten to wipe it off the map. >> words we

israel captured in the 1967 war. the u.n. general assembly gave him its best welcome. so did palestinians in ramallah on the west bank. >> president abbas ignored america's pressure to keep their future away from the united nations. president abbas said he wanted to animate -- negotiate. he accused israel of apartheid, taking land palestinians want for their state to build illegals they'll look -- some as for jews. >> settlement activities in body the core of colonial military occupation of the land of the palestinian people and all of the brutality of aggression and racial discrimination. this policy is the primary cause for the failure of the peace process. >> israel's road to independence came from a u.n. vote. >> united kingdom, abstained. united states, yes. >> the resolution divided the british from palestine. the plan created a jewish state and one for palestinians. jerusalem was kept under international control. the palestinians rejected the plan and israel won the war that followed. palestinians are prepared to except much less than they rejected in 1947. they want a capital in east jerusalem, land occupied by israel since the 1967 war. the americans say they will veto the application if it comes for a vote in the

must assume a historic responsibility. it is the general assembly of the united nations that must not miss this appointment with history. the solution is on the table. let us take this compromise solution over the blockage. that might satisfy everyone here. it will create violence, the tennis and opposition. the so both imperil the weakening of the arab people. the tragedy will cease for a simple reason. it has gone on for too long. thank you. >> tomorrow, dennis on the federal budget. the republicans on the un vote on palestinian independence. also a personal finance reporter talks about how the new consumer protection bureau regulate the credit scoring agency. it begins live each morning at 7:00 eastern. >> this weekend's, american history television. the literary life from the 2012 national conventions. karen on dreaming of dixie, how the south was created in american popular culture. also a visit to the installation between independence the stores and publishers. toward the 11th president. a discussion with the civil rights leader charles jones on his experiences stirring the 1960

- span.org/thecontenders. next, a united nations speech by iraqi president talibani. then it will put a gloss on palestine's application for text -- for statehood. then israeli prime minister netanyahu. in a speech to the general assembly, jalal talabani supports statehood for the palestinian people. the iraqi president also spoke about security and economic stability in this country. his remarks about 20 minutes. >> mr. president, allow me to congratulate you and our brothers, the people of qatar, on the occasion of your presidency of the 66th session of the general assembly. our delegation will be of assistance to you in performing your duties, and we're confident that the experience and wisdom will be an important factor in the success of the general assembly. our thanks also go to your ess,ecessor, mr. joseph dic for his presidency of the general assembly in its outgoing session. i would also like to congratulate the un secretary general mr. ban ki-moon on his re-election for a second term as secretary general and wish him all success in his work. mr. president, it is an honor to stand in front of you one more time, to brief you and the notable developments that iraq is witnessing as it works on building of modern state t

the white house with regard to winning back the jewish vote? next week the united nations general assembly takes place, palestinian statehood will be on the agenda, and they are looking to see how the president acts. >> reporter: it's whether or not it's a problem of perception or reality. what i can tell you is the obama campaign is actively reaching out to the jewish community certainly to all of their base, but to the jewish community to shore up support among jewish voters. here at the white house they're not saying anything about losing support among jewish voters. instead, they're trying to reinforce the notion that the administration remains a strong supporter of israel and jay carney, in fact, repeated several times this week the endorsement, strong endorsement, from israel's prime minister that the u.s. remains strong or this administration has been committed to israel's security. so, that's the message that they're trying to push forward. but as you pointed out, all of this coming into sharper focus as the president heads to the u.n. general assembly next week and this issue of palesti

general assembly of the united nations. i also would like to express my thanks for this excellency ban ki moon for his re-election as secretary-general. i stand today before you, excellencies, feeling sadness for the loss of more than 30,000 martryrs. they sacrificed their lives in my country. their sacred blood was shed to y for a new histor for th the new libya. by the same token, i bow to the mothers, who today know that their sons sacrifice was just and rightful. had events been repeated, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters would have done the very same to write the same history. from this rostrum, let is a moot, all those martyrs whose blood was shed, all mothers and fathers and john kasich. i salute the wounded in hospitals inside and outside libya. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, two years ago. in this very hall, in this very spot, moammar gaddafi stood before you tearing the charter of the united nations. in a pathetic, theatrical move, one that flouts international values as if those rules that govern the work of international organizations can be judged in such a manner or

, judaism's holiest place, is occupied palestinian territory. and yet even here in the general assembly the truth can sometimes break through. in 1984, when i was appointed israel's ambassador to the united nations, i visited the great rabbi. he said to me -- ladies and gentlemen, i don't want you to be offended. by personal experience of serving here, there are many honorable men and women and many capable and decent people serving their nations here. here's what the rabbi said to me. he said to me, you'll be served in a house of many lies. and then i said, remember that even in the darkest place the light of a single candle can be seen far and wide. today i hope that the light of truth will shine if only for a few minutes in a hall that for too long has been a place of darkness for my country. so as israel's prime minister, i didn't come here to win applause. i came here to speak the truth. [ applause ] the truth is that israel wants peace. the truth is that i want peace. the truth is that in the middle east at all times but especially during these turbulent days, peace must be anchored in security. the truth is that we cannot achieve peace through u.n. resolutions but only through direct negotia

to to the security council and to the general assembly. all members of the united nations will have a chance to vote. my guess is that the senate -- the palestinians will get 140 nations who will vote for their becoming a state. this will not change the occupation of palestine by the israelis. it will make the -- if they do a veto, they will not become a fully recognized a member of the united nations but it will become an observer if the general assembly votes. this will get them access to membership and it is a step forward. i would not be in favor of this if united states had put forward any comprehensive peace proposal as president obama has announced. one, a freeze on all is really settlements and also based on the 1967 borders. if they would put forward that proposal as a basis point of negotiation, both the palestinians and the carter center would be in favor of peace talks based on those issues. the israelis are not willing to accept those proposals and president obama is not willing to make that effort. as an alternative to the stalemate, we reluctantly would support the pa

authority president mahmoud abbas formally requested the united nations recognize palestine as an independent state last week during the opening of the general assembly. the 15 member security council is divided on the request, and the united states is opposed and said it would veto the request. it has addressed -- in his address president obama said ultimately it is in the israelis and palestinians, not us who must reach agreement on the status of a palestinian nation. israel actually announced tuesday the building of additional settlements in east jerusalem. president abbas denounced the move and said peace with israel is not possible until settlement construction and. white house spokesman jay carney said the administration is deeply disappointed by that announcement and that when you decide to take unilateral action, that makes it harder to achieve the peace. we make our views known just as we did with regard to the palestinian action at the united nations. that statement again from white house spokesman jay carney yesterday. we are waiting for the security council to get under way in just a few minutes. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversati

for to the united nations for full recognition. the iraqi president spoke about security and economic stability in this country. he spoke before the united nations general assembly. >> mr. president, allow me at the outset to congratulate you and our brothers, the people of the tarmac on the occasion of the 66th session of the general assembly. our presentation will be of assistance to you in performing your duties. we are confident that your experience and vision will be an important factor in the success of the general assembly. our thanks also goes to your predecessors, for his presidency of the general assembly and his outgoing session. i would also like to congratulate on his reelection for a second term as secretary-general and wish him all success in his work. mr. president, it is an honor to stand in front of you one more time to brief you on, as it works, build a modern state that lives in peace with its people and neighbors. iraq is building a homeland where everyone is at peace and stability, regardless of sectarian, ethnic, a system where the rule of law prevails. and lives are respected and the system that is based on democracy and peaceful transition of p

flying and he always put safety first. >> gregg: a showdown is looming at the united nations. palestinian president mahmoud abbas making a bid for statehood for palestinians at this year's general assembly. however, israel's prime minister predicting that request will fair. steve centani has more. >> the u.s. could find itself in the uncomfortable position of having to veto a palestinian attempt to gain recognition at the united nations even though the u.s. supports palestinian statehood. u.s. insists negotiation is the only way to solve the region's problem but the palestinians say there a problem with that. >> we cannot continue to negotiate while the israelis are taking our territory the same land that will be our state in the future. >> reporter: the west bank settlements have doubled and israel says it's called a moratorium on and palestinians didn't stirl didn't come to the peace trouble and they have a problem with mahmoud abbas. >> he has made, but hamas is a terrorist organization that has fired thousands of missiles at israel. it kills a for annihilation of the people worldwide. >> reporter: these disagreements and others have led to the current standoff. palestinians plan to present t

the united nations and its agency to protect the peoples rights, and to prevent the occupation by force. the tragedy of our people, the united nations was born as well. hundreds of revolutions by the general assembly of the security council. but these resolutions were in vain. we go to the united nations to demand full and legal rights, which is the full membership of the state in this organization. we convey with our palestinian delegation, our people to achieve this goal and to put in and to the slaughter. and we enjoy our rights, enjoy our freedom and independence in the palestinian state on the borders of both of june 1967 with jerusalem, if jerusalem as the capital as our nation. our efforts, our continuous efforts as to reach through negotiations a solution to end the occupation and to lead to the establishment of an independent palestinian state is now reaching had longer. because of the policy of the israeli government that is rejecting, negotiations on the basis of the international legal resolutions and signed with the plo, and it's a policy of settlements as the jewish approach to jerusalem will never lead to the solution of the two countries based on the 1967 border. i will go to the unit

, is occupied palestinian territory. and yet, even here, in the general assembly, the truth can sometimes break through. in 1984 when i was appointed israel's ambassador to the united nations, i visited the great rabbi. he said to me -- and ladies and gentlemen, i don't want any of you to be offended, because from personal experience of serving here, i know there are many honorable men and women, many capable and decent people serving their nation here, but here's what the rabbi said to me. he said to me, "you'll be serving in a house of many lies." and then he said, "remember that even in the darkest place, the light of a single candle can be seen far and wide." today i hope that the light of truth will shine, if only for a few minutes, in a hall that for too long has been a place of dark mess for my country. so as israel's prime minister, i didn't come here to win applause. i came here to speak the truth. the truth is -- the truth is that israel wants peace. the truth is that i want peace. the truth is that in the middle east, at all times but especially during these turbulent days, peace must be anchored in security. the truth is that we cannot achieve peace through u.n. r

. just over an hour ago, palestinian president mahmoud abbas asking the united nations to officially recognize palestine as a state, the u.s. vowing to veto that request. the obama administration had tried to head it off altogether. as we speak, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is addressing the general assembly. let's listen to that, then we'll get reaction from ambassador bolton. >> after all, it was here in 1975 that the age-old yearning of my people to restore our national life and our ancient biblical homeland, it was then that this was braided -- branded, rather, shamefully as racism. and it was here in 1980, right here, that the historic peace agreement between israel and egypt wasn't praised, it was denounced. and it's here year after year that israel is unjustly singled out for condemnation, it's singled out for condemnation more often than all the nations of the world combined. twenty-one out of the twenty-seven general assembly resolutions condemn israel, the one true democracy in the middle east. this is an unfortunate part of the u.n. institution. it's the theater of the absurd. it doesn't only cast israel as the villain, it often casts real villains in leading roles. quaffgy's -- gadhafi's libya chaired the human rights coup sill, saddam's rack headed the u.n. committee on disarmament.

ahead with his plan to formally ask the united nations to recognize the palestinian state as a full member of the world body, of this organization. that request expected to come less than an hour from now, when abbas addresses the u.n. general assembly. his push coming despite strong urging from the u.s. and israel that he reconsider. aaron miller is former adviser to six secretary of states, author of the "much too promised land" and one of o best guests on this topic. aaron, we could be witnessing history here. what changes in the world if abbas makes this request? >> well, he is going to leave an application with the secretary general and possibly days, weeks from now or maybe never, the security council will vote on this. look, jenna, in the end this will change nothing. it's the key to an empty room. in a way, it's a lose/lose situation for everyone. abbas is dangerously close to raising expectations on the ground which will be frustrated, he's going to put the president of the united states in the position of having to veto a resolution which frankly will be very good for his domestic political constituency, but not great for his arab and muslim constituency or for american interests in the region. but at the end of the day, as gri

united states will veto this effort in the united nations security council, but the palestinians now plan to take their effort both to the security council, probably, but certainly to the general assembly where all the members of the united nations have a chance to vote. my guess is that the palestinians will get 140 or 150 nations who will vote for their becoming a state. this will not change the occupation of palestine by the israelis, and it will just make -- if the united states does veto the security council, then they will not become a fully recognized member of the united nations, but they will become an unofficial recognized observer, and this would give them certain access to membership in international organizations, and it would be a step forward. i would not be in favor of this if the united states had put forward any sort of comprehensive peace proposal. as president obama has announced on two major occasions, one a freeze on all israeli settlements inside palestine, and also, based on the 1967 borders -- if the united states had put forward that proposal as a basis for negotiation, then both the palestinians and the carter center would be in favor of peace talks based on those

born, the united nations -- was born as well, by tens and hundreds of the resolution and recommendations issued by the general assembly and the security council. but these resolutions were in a way in vain. we go to the united nations to ask and to demand for a legal right which is the full membership of the palestinian state in this organization. we convey with our fellow palestinian delegation the pain of our people to achieve this goal and to put an end to the torture, and we enjoy our right with -- enjoy our freedom within a palestinian state within the borders of june 4, 1967 with jerusalem as the capital of our nation. our efforts, our continuous efforts so as to reach through negotiations, a resolution to end the occupation and to lead to the establishment of an independent palestinian state is at a locker. because of the policies of the israeli government that is rejecting to commit itself with negotiations on the basis of the international legal resolutions and agreement signed with the p.l.o. and it's a policy of celtments and as the jewish approach to jerusalem so that it never leads to the solution of the two